Stolen Harvest by Vandana Shiva

I would give this book a 4 out of five.  My initial impression is that others in the book club are not going to be that excited about the book, and I can see why!  This is a decent reference book.   I’m a veggie gardener (except for my roses).   Even though it was published in 2016, its references go back to 1990’s.  This book kind of creates a “shock and awe” sense of global gardening.  Reference to TV wrestling (30 years ago):  they are “going off the top rope” against Monsanto (throughout the whole book).  The book shows that people do not want to be surprised by GMO  (Genetic Modified) foods in reference to free and fair trade.  Monsanto also wants their soybean seed as intellectual property.  Our soil needs plant diversity.

 The book is from a study for the past two decades.  The organic people think the forest are being robbed of food, fodder. Fuel, fiber, medicine, and security from floods P. 1.  All industrial agriculture.

• Introduction:
• Over the past two decades.  The organic people think the forest are being robbed of food, fodder. Fuel, fiber, medicine, and security from floods P. 1.  All industrial agriculture.
• Talk about the WTO criminalizing seed-saving P. 1
• Anti GATT
• Genetic engineered seeds
• The chemical companies want to control agriculture through pattens, genetic engineering, and mergers  P.2.
• This would create a monopoly on life? P. 2
• Seed patent lays by the WTO, criminalizes seed sharing
• Even goes to the shrimp industry P. 3
• Talk about Monsanto
• Chapter 1:  the hijacking of the global food supply
• Food is our basic need, the very stuff of life P.5
• It all revolves around anna P. 5 (from India)
• Peasant adopted a 2/3rds rule
• They refused to let their harvest be stolen by the landlords and revenue collectors  P. 6
• We will give up our lives. But we will not give up our rice P. 6
• It all goes back to the “free trade” treaties P. 6
• It steals the harvest of the seed and nutrition. P.6
• The book focuses on India P. 7 and3 the hijacking of food and agriculture
• This is being done throughout the world.
• 70% of the people in the world earn their living on producing food P. 7
• In the industrialized countries only 2% of the population are farmers P. 7
• Food security is in the seed.  P. 7
• There are over 200,000 varieties of rice
• One variety grows 18 feet tall
• The Indian farmer needs to keep their rice diverse breeding new varieties. P. 7
• The seed for a farmers is a source of history and culture.  It the first link in the food chain. P. 7
• Free seed exchange for farmers also includes exchange ideas and wisdom .  P. 8
• Talk about the significant of rice (for religious purposes) P. 8 given as a blessing
• Seeds are worshipped before planting
• Is the seed a private property? P. 8
• 10 corporations control 32% of the commercial seed market. P. 9
• There’s companies also control the pesticides
• Because of NAFTA 1 out of two peasants are not getting enough to eat. P. 9
• “Eating on cheap imports is not eating at all for the poor in Mexico P. 9
• Hybrid seeds are more vulnerable to pest, needs more pesticides P. 10
• Talk of “cash crops” P. 10
• Farmers are robbed of their freedom to choose what they can grow, and consumers are being robbed for their freedom of what to
• Creating Hunger with Monocultures P. 11
• The world needs chemical fore food
• Because of soil issues
• Food is important for all creation P. 11
• Planted to double in size by 2030…me need io technology P. 11
• Industrial agriculture has not p[produced more food P. 11
• This uses much fossil fuel p. 12theft
• Talk about stealing from the soil insects P. 12   Look out for the 3^rd. world
• Theft of nutrients from the soil for different species P. 12
• Industrial revolution create waste which leads to hunger P. 13
• Bio-tech creates food insecurity P. 13
• Look out 3^rd world countries P. 14
• Talk of meat cost of cattle P. 14
• Talk of harvesting shrimp P. 14
• Study #’s are on P.15
• From  the WTO 3^rd world counties need to import food
• Exports cost less and imports cost more P. 15
• Dependency on imports P. 15
• It all go’s back to corporate profits P. 16
• The universe is for all creation,  P.17
• We are moving from abundance to scarcity
• We need to stop the theft of food and government control
• Chapter 2:  Soil imperialism and the Destruction of Local Food Cultures
• Diversity of soil, climates, and plant causes issues P. 21
• Food is for diversity of people
• Need to find a cooking medium P. 21
• Farmers are hurt by global markets P. 21
• Mustard I used in  India, not only is it a edible oil, it’s also used for medication P. 22
• New seeds are destroying local markets destroying livelihoods P.21
• Mustard is use for medication and for pest control agent
• Government banned the sale of all unpackaged edible oils P.24
• Brings up the corrupt traders. 25
• Fromm business line:  “US farmers need big new export market…India is a perfect match” P. 25
• This could be the end of mustard  (need to get seed from Monsanto)
• It’s all about global soybeans
• There are six corporation that control the world food supply,  Have really got their people by the scrortum P. 28
• There is going to be Gmo Soybeans
• There are only six merchant of grain
• Soybeans is controlled over the seed itself P. 28
• Monsanto ha bought the many seeds
• Monsanto has (owns) patent on herbicide-resistant plants P. 29

• From seed to distribution to processing for soybeans
• It’s shown that in a diet rich in soybeans produces a high estrogen count P. 32.
• Soybeans are an experiment P. 32
• Companies don’t no like small scale manufacturing
• Issue with oil seeds
• A lot of documents were listed about homegrown living oils. 33-5
• Chapter 3  Stolen Harvest under the sea
• Fish provides 17% of the animal protein for  a human diet  P. 37
• Over 200 million people depend on fishing for livelihood.
• Talk of fish farming
• Thus 70% of fishing area are over fished
• Talk of shrimp farms in India P. 44
• Talk about ground water pollution from the shrimp farms P. 46
• Drinking water is in tough shape because of aqua companies
• No food is now no water
• Water is now competitive tankers are important (social destruction)
• Use sa1lt water for their water
• Rapid Growth for Salmon   more patents for the faster going fish   (like 10 times)  They might need more feed.  Transgenic fish.
• Chapter 4
• Dali lama’s  compassion to all insects
• Mad cows and sacred cows
• Importance and integrity of the cow
• Good for crop waste increase food energy
• Indian cows  produce more milk than they consume
• Poop is used for fuel
• Gone from a renewable fertilizer to non renewable chemical ones P.59
• More take about hormones P.59
• Soil treated with farm manure have 2 to 2.5 times the number of earthworms which benefits the soil fertilization P. 61
• Earthworm issues P. 62  soil fertility
• BSE scare of meat
• Talk about monoculture
• McDonaldization  p. 70
• It’s a unsustainable food system
• Chickens have antibiotics the could cause cancer every 7 seconds
• Pizza hut, kfc have the environmentalist up in arms
• Stat:  for every pound of red meat about 5 pounds of irreplaceable top soil isa used P. 70
• Plus the need of water.
• Stat animal farms us about 40% of the worlds grain production
• Mad cow disease is companies wanting profits P.71  Growth hommos P. 73
• Cow dung is worship in India=aP.75
• Stolen Harvest of Seed chapter 5
• Over 10,000 years farmers have worked with nature P.79
• From genetic erosion our diversity is being limited
• Stat:  there are between 250,000 to  300,000mplants alive today.   P. 79
• At least 10,000 to
• 50,000 are edible
• 7 thousand species have been farmed and used for food
• Just 30 species provide about 90% of the worlds calorie input
• And only 4 provide protein
• This is all from world trade
• Need plant diversity P. 79
• 6,000 varieties of apple grown in US are now extinct. P. 80
• Monocultures is import to control the production and distribution P. 80
• Central control  monopoly control over seed
• Economic concentration
• Patents and Intellectual property right
• Genetic engineering
• Talk about the growth of Monsanto P. 81%
• It also creates sterile seeds

• High commentator is Dupont
• Life of terminator technology
• Using this will destroy our food supply. 
• No seed unless you buy more seed
• In 1999 Monsanto stopped with terminator technology
• Robbing from te poor  farmer
• Talk of food for the rich P. 86
• Over 130 million worker could be affected from the wheat economy P. 88
• Logistic issues!!!!!
• Monsanto suing when pollution from soybean farms are “blowing” into other fields P. 92
• Using Ready Canola (roundup seed). P.92
• Genetic Engineering and food security P. 95
• It steals natures harvest P. 95
• It destroys biodiversity P. 65
• 2030 plant Is about to double in population
• Bio-tech will help save the earth
• MGOs are not sustainable just “stuff”
• Accounts of genetic engineering creates super weeds P. 97  (herbicide)thus, using roundup did not provide output as designed.
• Foods are safe?  P. 101
• It does not study environmental test
• GMOs action is very unpredictable P. 109
• Biotech language P. 111
• Talk about plant and soilP.112
• Reclaiming Food Democracy P. 117  chapter 7
• Sustainable gardening
• Cows ands earthworms help us make food P. 118
• In 1999 study says 81% of people think genetically engineered food should be labeled
• In 1998 89% of people think food safety is important.  More important than crime
• In 1998 over 5 billion dollars worth of organic food was consumed
• Movements against Genetic Engineering P. 118
• Save the seed P. 120
• Seed is a priceless gift P. 121
• WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999
• Promotes “forced tade”
• Protect small farms and growing good priceless food.